The juicy tidbit emerged as the former world No. 1 celebrated her victory over Peyton Stearns at the DC Open, making Williams, 45, the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova did at age 47 in 2004. Williams had not played a match in well over a year.

Kevin Durant attended Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste's doubles match at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. On Monday afternoon, Venus Williams played her first professional tennis match in over a year. Williams teamed up with Hailey Baptiste in doubles at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Venus Williams made a triumphant return to professional tennis at the Mubadala Citi DC Open! Tournament Director Daniel Vallverdu demonstrated proper racket grips and said young players should focus on building a love for the game!